


Resolve

by DarthTella



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: (but it happens in the show and he gets better), Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s04e11 Turn Left, Major character death - Freeform, doctor who - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-16 14:45:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16088258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthTella/pseuds/DarthTella
Summary: Coming face to face with the Doctor's body entombed in UNIT's morgue, Rose sets a new resolve: She will now become this universes Doctor.





	Resolve

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lastincurableromantic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastincurableromantic/gifts).



As she was being led down the endless tunnels underneath the Tower of London, Rose Tyler could swear her legs were made out of lead pipes. She was desperately trying to maintain the outward appearance of being calm and collected, a skill she had thought she had mastered during the last year of hopping between dimensions. But anyone catching even the briefest glimpse of her would know she was a nervous wreck.

She had kept it together well enough when Donna broke the news to her.

“They took him away. He's dead. I'm sorry, did you know him? I mean, they didn't say his name. Could be any doctor.” Donna had told her in a gentle voice.

Even the UNIT soldiers backed up Donna’s claims, and Rose had found the sonic screwdriver just carelessly laying on the pavement. She snatched that before any of the soldiers could get their grubby hands on it so they could try and reverse engineer it.

_They’re wrong. They’re wrong. It can’t be. They are WRONG!_

She kept that mantra up in her head, trying to convince herself more than anyone else. She clutched at the screwdriver in her pocket like a talisman, willing that the owner of it was alive and well.

_Maybe he just lost it._

She tried rationalising to herself, knowing that it was a ludicrous notion. The Doctor, loosing his sonic screwdriver? There was no way that would happen to him willingly.

“Ma’am? Are you alright?” One of the soldiers flanking her had stopped and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. Without even realising it, Rose’s legs had folded beneath her and she was now sitting awkwardly on the floor in this dark corridor absolutely frozen in place as the cold reality of the situation settled on her.

_What if they’re right? What if the Doctor’s really...?_

“Ma’am!” The soldier shook at her shoulder again trying to get her attention. Rose blinked several times, realising her vision had gone all blurry. Hot tears ran down her cheeks and she scrubbed furiously at them.

_They’re wrong. They’re wrong. It can’t be. They are WRONG!_

She started the mantra up in her head again. She let the soldier help get her back on her feet. Rose leaned against the wall a moment willing her feet to keep her moving towards the morgue at the end of the hall.

How she desperately wished she didn’t have to do this alone.

“Rose!” She blinked. Someone was calling out to her. A man’s voice she instantly recognised. She looked down the corridor she had just walked down and saw someone running towards her. She took in the tall figure clad in a long flowing overcoat and found herself bolting towards it.

While it wasn’t the light brown overcoat she had been wishing to see, the steel grey of Jack Harkness’ coat was still a very welcome sight. She collapsed into Jack’s arms and he hugged her tight. Rose didn’t care how he came to be here, she just thanked whatever deity was listening that he was there. Her old friend that she had desperately missed for all these years.

Jack didn’t seem to care that she was soaking the front of his shirt with the tears she’d been trying to hold back for the past hour. They just erupted out of her at the first friendly touch.

“I’m so sorry, Rose.” From the sound of Jack’s voice, she could tell he was crying too. “We’re too late.”

Rose pushed jack away roughly.

“No!” She shouted. “No. No! NO! You’re wrong! The Doctor can’t be... He wouldn’t...”

Jack stepped up to her again and pulled her back into his arms. He took a few deep breaths before he started talking once again.

“Rose, I’ve already been in there to identify him.” Jack’s voice was devoid of emotion, and Rose felt like she was being pulled into the Void all over again. Her legs once again turned into jelly, but Jack braced her fall.

“He... he’s still in there if you want to... oh God...” Rose could hear Jack fighting back the emotion that was rising up in him once again. He was crying again as he said: “If... if you want to say... goodbye.” His voice broke on the last word and Rose clung onto Jack for dear life as he was overcome with wracking sobs. She rubbed at his back as all the emotion came flooding out of him, her heart breaking even more. She had never once imagined the brave Captain Jack Harkness being reduced to the sobbing mess in her arms. But Jack had always loved the Doctor too, even if the Doctor had always shown a preference for her.

“Will you stay with me?” Rose asked. She felt Jack nod his head as he attempted to bring himself back under control. Hand in hand they walked up to the door to the morgue. Jack wordlessly pushed the heavy metal door open as they stepped in.

Rose felt as if time had slowed around her as they stepped up to the table in the middle of the room. A white sheet was draped over a figure. Rose held her breath as the attendant slowly reached over and took hold of the top corners of the fabric.

“Ready?” He asked Rose gently. She took a deep breath to brace herself and nodded.

The sheet was lifted up and Rose gasped as she looked upon the man lying on the table. There was no colour in his skin, the hollows in his cheeks were extremely pronounced, and his hair lay limp on his head.

But it was indeed the Doctor.

An agonized scream echoed off the walls of the morgue as Rose draped herself over the Doctor’s body. Jack stepped up behind her and placed her hands on her shoulders, attempting to calm her. Rose tried to fight him off, but Jack was stronger. He pulled her into another tight hug, but still Rose fought.

“Easy. Easy!” Jack snapped at her holding her now at arms length.

“We’re gonna get him back.” Rose said, her voice now eerily steady.

“Rose, no, as much as I--”

“Time can be rewritten, Jack!” She shouted. Jack stepped back as if he’d been slapped, releasing his hands from her shoulders. Rose turned to the Doctor once again. She leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

“We’re gonna get you back.” She whispered tenderly to her beloved, running her fingers through his hair. “Just you wait and see.” She pressed a kiss to his still lips as more tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Rose, be reasonable. There’s no way we can--” Jack tried again, but Rose just shook her head.

“They already found the TARDIS. And I’ve got a feeling that Donna woman I met has ties to him.” Rose could sense that Jack was about to argue again, so she wheeled on him before he could continue, “I’ve spent the last eighteen months hopping between dimensions tryin’ to find him again. I just know something has happened to time in this universe and I _know_ it’s because he’s got himself killed. The stars have been going out faster and faster across every single universe, and he’s the only one who can help us! So now it’s up to us to help him! This world is now also without it’s Doctor so we need to step up and cover for him until we can get him back!” Rose’s voice was now raw from yelling, screaming and crying and she felt more exhausted than ever. But her work was now just only beginning.

She would now have to be this universe’s Doctor. And she had a feeling that he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Jack nodded.

“I’ll help you.” For the first time a smile crossed Rose’s face. It was sad and tired, but it filled her with a resolve that wasn’t previously there.

She leaned over the Doctor’s body once more, and pressed one last parting kiss to his forehead.

“I’ll see you soon, my Doctor.”


End file.
